The
man behind Gold Party is Bill McGaughey, who lives in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is an author, inner-city landlord, and
former candidate for public office.

The
idea for the system of weighted voting came from McGaughey’s thoughts concerning
the nature of money and from his perception that political movements
often lack staying power.

His
interest in politics, though evident in his early writings, was
advanced by his experiences with a
group of landlord activists, Minneapolis Property Rights Action
Committee. This showed him how a small group of people having
social cohesion and a cause can have an impact on government.
It also
demonstrated the importance of having one’s own media
to get a message out to the public when the commercial media
are indifferent
or hostile.

McGaughey’s four political campaigns taught him
something about campaigning for elective office.